A rechargeable battery is a type of electrical battery that can be charged, discharged into a load, and recharged many times, while a non-rechargeable battery is supplied fully charged, and discarded once discharged. Rechargeable batteries are used in many devices. Cordless electric tools, for example, run off of rechargeable batteries.
Rechargeable batteries are produced in many different configurations. A typical rechargeable battery includes a set of battery cells. The cells may be connected in series, parallel or a mixture of both to deliver the desired voltage, capacity, or power density. The cells may take form in different combinations of electrode materials and electrolytes, including lead-acid, nickel-cadmium, nickel-metal hydride, lithium-ion, etc. Lithium-ion is often the chemistry of choice for rechargeable batteries because of its high capacity-to-size ratio and low self-discharge characteristics. While rechargeable batteries come in many different configurations as noted above, the present invention will be described with reference to a rechargeable battery of five lithium-ion cells connected in series, except where noted, it being understood the present disclosure should not be limited thereto.